Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin: an Electronic Edition of the National Era Version
Wesley Raabe, Editor
<http://www.iath.virginia.edu/~wnr4c/index.htm>
Over Uncle Tom’s Dead Body
Publication Context and Textual Variation
This digital dissertation project, completed in August 2006, includes a
publicly accessible electronic edition of the National Era version of Uncle
Tom’s Cabin. The edition provides two transcriptions of Stowe’s newspaper
text and two sets of archive-quality image facsimiles of the weekly issues in
which Stowe’s work appeared. The transcription and page images are based on
a bound copy of the newspaper version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which is held in
the Clifton Waller Barrett Collection at the University of Virginia.
National Era 18 Mar. 1852: 46
George Shelby Punches Simon Legree in the Era
“I don’t sell dead niggers,” said Legree, doggedly. “You’re welcome to bury him when
and where you like.”
“Boys,” said George, in an authoritative
tone, to two or three negroes who were looking
at the body, “help me lift him up and carry
him to my wagon, and get me a spade.”
One of the negroes ran for a spade, and two
others assisted George to carry the body to the
wagon.
George neither spoke to nor looked at Legree, who did not countermand his orders, but
stood whistling, with an air of unconcern. He
sulkily followed them to where the wagon stood
at the door. George spread his cloak in the
wagon, had the body carefully disposed of in
it, moving the seat, so as to give it room.
“Such a fuss for a dead nigger!” said Legree.
The word was a spark to a powder magazine. Prudence was never a cardinal virtue
of the Kentucky boy. George turned, and
with one indignant blow knocked Legree
flat upon his face; and as he stood over him,
blazing with wrath and defiance, he would
have formed no bad personification of his great
namesake, triumphing over the dragon.
It was a most imprudent thing, George; but
it is evident you do not care for that. You are
far beyond prudence just now.
Some men, however, are decidedly bettered
by being knocked down.
National Era 18 Mar. 1852: 46
This poster highlights textual variants and material publication contexts on
18 March 1852, when for the first time two versions of Stowe’s work were
public, the Era’s newspaper installment of Stowe’s work and the John P. Jewett
edition (advertised in Era as published on that day). The newspaper serial continued through 1 April. On either side of this paragraph are images from facing
pages in the Era. Opposite the page on which Simon Legree says “I don’t sell
dead niggers,” the Era printed a report on a Greenville, South Carolina slave
auction. Like Stowe’s story, the notice also includes a slave’s dead body. The
box at bottom left highlights textual variation between the two versions of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Bottom right is an 1852 Jewett edition facsimile.
National Era 18 Mar. 1852: 47
“one fellow deceased” at a Slave Auction
Textual Fluidity and Two Versions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
“I don’t sell dead niggers,” said Legree, doggedly. “You
are welcome to bury him where and when you like.”
“Boys,” said George, in an authoritative tone, to two or
three negroes, who were looking at the body, “help me lift
him up, and carry him to my wagon; and get me a spade.”
One of them ran for a spade; the other two assisted George
to carry the body to the wagon.
George neither spoke to nor looked at Legree, who did not
countermand his orders, but stood, whistling, with an air of
forced unconcern. He sulkily followed them to where the
wagon stood at the door.
George spread his cloak in the wagon, and had the body
carefully disposed of in it,—moving the seat, so as to give it
room. Then he turned, fixed his eyes on Legree, and said,
with forced composure,
“I have not, as yet, said to you what I think of this most
atrocious affair;—this is not the time and place. But, sir,
this innocent blood shall have justice. I will proclaim this
murder. I will go to the very first magistrate, and expose
you.”
“Do!” said Legree, snapping his fingers, scornfully. “I ’d
like to see you doing it. Where you going to get witnesses?
—how you going to prove it?—Come, now!”
George saw, at once, the force of this defiance. There was
not a white person on the place; and, in all southern courts,
the testimony of colored blood is nothing. He felt, at that
moment, as if he could have rent the heavens with his heart’s
indignant cry for justice; but in vain.
“After all, what a fuss, for a dead nigger!” said Legree.
The word was as a spark to a powder magazine. Prudence
was never a cardinal virtue of the Kentucky boy. George
turned, and, with one indignant blow, knocked Legree flat
upon his face; and, as he stood over him, blazing with wrath
and defiance, he would have formed no bad personification of
his great namesake triumphing over the dragon.
Some men, however, are decidedly bettered by being
knocked down.
Jewett Edition. vol. II: 282-83
1852 Jewett Edition 282-83
The newspaper page images and textual transcription are from the dissertation edition. The Jewett
edition image is based on a personal copy. The Jewett edition text is transcribed from that copy. The
concept of “textual fluidity” draws on the work of John Bryant, The Fluid Text (Ann Arbor: U of
Michigan P, 2002).